Close doors to rooms you aren't using to keep cool air where you need it most. Seal gaps around doors and windows, and use draught excluders to ensure the cool air can't escape. Note: evaporative air-conditioners will be more effective if you open some doors and windows to increase air flow through the home.
Closing a bedroom door reduces the air flow into the room and the air flow through the system. When the system puts air into a room and it gets trapped, it pressurizes the bedroom. This positive pressure forces the cooled, or conditioned, air out of the house through any opening in the room that the air can find.
Unless you're looking for some privacy, keep your doors open to save energy. In contrast, you can keep a room cooler by closing off rooms while using a window unit.
Closed doors don't allow the conditioned air to circulate throughout the house, creating uncomfortable hot and cold spots throughout. Dangerous air quality.
But here's the good news: There's a simple step you can add to your nighttime routine to keep you safe. Research from UL's Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FRSI) shows that closing your bedroom door helps prevent a fire from spreading, lessens smoke damage and could even save lives.
What's really going on behind closed doors. It's a common misconception that closing off some rooms in your home will reduce the amount of space you need to heat or cool, thus lowering your energy costs. In reality, closing doors and vents in unused rooms can actually increase your energy use.
Although closing off unused rooms may seem like a way to save energy on heating and cooling, it can actually force your HVAC system to work harder. In order for your air conditioner to work efficiently, you should keep the interior doors in your home open as much as possible.
If you have closed your air vents, or your vents are obstructed by furniture or upholstery, proper airflow is being disrupted. This can most certainly cause some rooms in your home to be hotter than others, while placing extra strain on your HVAC system.
Positioning your bed in line with the door is the worst possible position, according to the principles of Feng shui. People who practice Feng shui call it the 'dead man's position' or the 'coffin position' because the feet or head face the door and resemble how we carry the dead through open doors from the house.
Per the FSRI, sleeping with your door closed can greatly reduce the spread of carbon monoxide from other rooms to the bedroom. In fact, a closed door can help keep carbon monoxide levels at 1,000 PPM versus 10,000 PPM with an open door.
In the study, opening the door also caused the temperature of the room to lower slightly, to about 67 degrees Fahrenheit—sleep doctors recommend keeping the temperature in your bedroom between 65 and 68 degrees for the best possible sleep. So instead of tossing and turning, crack open your bedroom door.
Open and shut case
Closing doors, windows and curtains during the heat of the day can help the house stay cooler than outside. Ceiling fans provide air movement to make you feel cooler.
Sleeping in a colder room can improve your sleep quality and even help you combat insomnia episodes. Scientists link this to the fact that our body temperature naturally drops at night. Hence, the metabolism rate slows down, and we spend less energy during sleep.
Sheets made with breathable materials like high-quality percale cotton, Tencel, or bamboo-rayon can help wick moisture away from your body to evaporate and cool down more quickly. For covers, use a top sheet made of breathable materials or a light blanket that doesn't trap heat. Try a cooling mattress pad.
Our Experts Say: Leave Doors Open For Better Warmth
Air needs to be able to move around freely in order to be the most efficient. A closed door is an obstruction to the natural flow of air in your home. With an open door, air can pass freely through the full opening of the door.
It Can Disturb Sleep
Having a mirror facing the bed can disturb your sleep, especially if you're sensitive to light. Even if the room is dark, any light reflected off the mirror can cause discomfort and prevent you from falling asleep or staying asleep. It could also give you the impression that you are being watched.
Facing a bed towards a window is a better option than placing your bed underneath it, however, it is still not recommended. In Feng Shui, it is generally believed that, where possible, beds should not be placed directly in line with either a door or windows.
If you do nothing else, try NOT to have the bed directly facing the bedroom door. Feng shui experts say you should be facing the door but not be directly in line with it. Placing your bed on the same wall as your door is thought to feel threatening, like someone may wake you in the night.
Your Air Vents are Closed or Obstructed
If you have closed your air vents, or your vents are obstructed by furniture or upholstery, proper airflow is being disrupted. This can most certainly cause some rooms in your home to be hotter than others, while placing extra strain on your HVAC system.
Single-pane glass or "patio" doors, especially sliding glass doors, lose much more heat than other types of doors because glass is a very poor insulator. Models with several layers of glass, low-emissivity coatings, and/or low-conductivity gases between the glass panes are a good investment.
Important Safety Tips
Leaving doors closed also gives you some time to figure out an escape, call 911, or wait for firefighters to find you if you can't leave a room. In addition to keeping doors closed at night, don't forget other important fire safety rules.
How cold is too cold? Below 13° - If your home is this cold, it may increase your blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular disease. 14-15° - If your home is this cold, you may be diminishing your resistance to respiratory diseases. 18° - This is the recommended night time bedroom temperature.